Go Straight Home
by ranchozabaco
Summary: Barty commits an act that will shape the rest of his life- and the lives of others
1. Chapter 1

"Go straight home. Do not speak to anyone. Burn your clothes."

Even hours later, the parting words that Rodolphus offered were weighing heavy on his mind as he walked though the night. It was if the man was sending him to the grocer's, the casual way he whispered to Barty in the Aurors' kitchen just before they set off to Disapparate. He hadn't even looked Barty in the eye; Rodolphus had been distracted by the bloodstains and singed hair on his robes.

Lestrange should have known his words were a waste of breath. Barty never had much cared for following instructions; he found things turned out much the same if he did things his own way. So it only made sense to head to the quiet of the moorlands. He had been alone save a shrieking merlin, soaring through the cold night air above him, and the little house that sat alone atop an icy hill.

He felt safer and in an even greater danger all at once as he peered through her bedroom window. The lights were dim but he was sure she was still awake. She had always been a night owl. Just before he Apparated, Barty wondered if he even had the strength for the little bit of magic. With a rush of air and a loud pop, Barty was inside and alone. He felt unusually sick, like when he had first learned to Apparate. In the next room, he heard bathwater sloshing about. The air was warm and almost moist, lit by candles and a dying fire in the corner, an exotic scent like cardamom or vanilla reaching up his nose.

"God, Barty, what is it?"

He almost flinched when she said his name. Glancing over his shoulder, he found her standing in the doorway of the bathroom. She was still dripping wet, wrapped hastily in a snowy towel, her hair curly from the steam. For a tense moment neither of them said a word and she looked cross.

"Alecto," he whispered through dry lips. Her face softened, and for a moment panic shown in her eyes. Quickly, Alecto darted across the room and retrieved a dressing robe, slipping it over her towel. He hadn't moved since entering her house; he was afraid of getting blood on her things. Barty said nothing as she rushed up to him, her eyes searching him like hands.

"You're filthy," she remarked, "What happened?" As she spoke, Alecto reached out to investigate his sleeve, and when she drew her hand back there was crimson staining her fingertips. And she had only just taken a bath…

"Not mine," were all Barty could muster. He felt almost drunk, as if there was a haze around his brain preventing him from functioning. His stomach turned. For a moment, in her room with the high ceiling and hardwood floors, the only sound was the snap of firewood.

"What hap-" she began to repeat herself, but Barty found his tongue again. His hands fell to his sides, as if there was no fight left in him.

"Aurors," was the only word he could put out. Alecto's eyes grew wide and she swung her head around, as if she thought he had been followed.

"Frank Longbottom and his wife," Barty continued, "We found them. Went to their house. Interrogated them," he stammered. It was the wrong phrase to use but Barty found himself unwilling to tell Alecto what he had done to them, or what he had allowed the others. The more he thought upon it, the harder it was to drown out Alice Longbottom's screams.

"Are they dead?" Alecto shuddered, her voice barely a whisper. There was fear in her eyes, fear he hadn't seen since Halloween night. Barty shook his head silently. In the next moment, her eyes flickered around the room and her body grew stiff, and then she set into a panic.

"You have done," she muttered, "A very stupid thing." Alecto went to her nightstand and retrieved her wand, pointing it past him and to the door.

"Muffliato," she hissed, stowing her wand in the pocket of her robe. She then came at him, and he flinched as her hands reached him, until her realized she was tearing off his cloak. She tossed it aside and he watched as the black wool pooled upon the polished wood floor. The next thing he was aware of was Alecto's nimble hands working off his shirt, and he put his hands up in protest.

"Hey!" he said a little louder than he had meant to, and she pushed his hands away, not even looking up at him.

"It's got blood on it," Alecto replied plainly. The smell, coppery and sweet, caught in his nose as she pulled the fabric over his head. She discarded his undershirt as well, and then went straight away to her wardrobe. As she rifled through the drawers, she babbled about him being caught. It wasn't long until her rant trailed off into sobs. Barty cursed, lumbered over to her, and enclosed her in his arms. She cried, and he could feel her knuckles balled up against his belly.

"I lost Evan. I'm not losing you."

With a sob, she asked him if the Aurors could have followed him. Alecto sniffled, and he held her tight for a moment, desperately wanting to tell her what he had done, and terrified of how she would react.

"They're not in any state," he whispered, "to tell anyone we were there tonight."

"What did you do?" Alecto asked, her voice forced. Barty released her and nodded towards her bed; she dropped down onto it, one leg dangling off the side. Barty looked at her for a long while before he spoke.

"Rodolphus and Bella, and Rab, too…we though they knew. Where the Dark Lord is."

"He's dead!" Alecto interjected, startling him.

"He can't be."

"Barty, the house…it blew up! We found his robes, we found his wand…"

"But not his body," Barty whispered, "Not his blood. Just the two Potters. Tell me, Alecto, if you think he couldn't have escaped."

"It…it was powerful magic, Barty. You know, if something like that backfires-"

"You doubt him?" he asked, locking his eyes onto hers.

"I- I don't know, Barty, I don't know what to think. He would have…he would have contacted us somehow. You're right, if anyone could have gotten out of that house, it would be him, but…"

Alecto was near tears again, and he rested his hand on her knee, standing over her. He was cold, being naked to the waist and all; goose pimples rose across his arms and chest. Silence was over them like a veil, the only sound in the vast dark room was the faint buzzing of her muffling spell.

"So what did you get from the Aurors?" she asked quietly.

"Nothing," he replied with a growl, "Absolutely nothing. They think that brat, that little half-breed, defeated the Dark Lord."

Alecto cocked her head back and opened her mouth as if she would speak, but shook her head after a moment. She stuck out her hand, offering him the shirt. He laughed when he noticed the letters on it.

"I, uh, ended up with it when I left the Riddle house," Alecto muttered, "your stupid Portugal shirt."

A smile found itself across his lips, and it felt wrong. Barty took the ancient shirt from her and pulled it on, noting that it smelled very faintly of her perfume. It tickled him, deep down, to think she had kept it, and maybe even worn it. He dropped down onto her bed and it was only then Barty realized how exhausted he was. It was like his whole body was on fire, his hands shaking, his mind racing.

It would be a long night.


	2. Chapter 2

Barty had not expected to sleep. Minutes crawled past him, but he had no idea of the time, and no desire to find out. It was likely closer to morning than night. A little while earlier, Alecto had extinguished all the candles and they had silently climbed into bed. He had taken off his shoes and trousers, fearing he would streak her sheets with blood. The bed was soft, and he was wearing mostly clean clothes, and Barty found a small relief when he lay down. He had watched, almost lazily, as Alecto changed for bed. But now, his attention was on the ceiling. The exposed rafters reminded him of a barn. Barty tried to make out shapes in the knots and gnarls of the wood. Some part of him thought he could bore himself to sleep.

Alecto twisted about in the sheets next to him. Not since school had they shared a bed, but it felt oddly natural as her knees came up to rest against his thigh. He looked down at her, and the faintest of smiles crossed her lips as she whispered to him drowsily.

"You're safe here," Alecto murmured, "I don't care who comes after you, they won't get into this house. Won't let them," her tone was gentle and comforting, and Barty relaxed as her hands, delicate white things that were soft through his shirt, rested on his shoulder.

"Just tell me what happened."

"It seemed like the best thing," he began, studying the ceiling as he recounted the evening's events. She listened as he told her of being summoned by Rodolphus Lestrange, and how they broke through the charms on the Longbottoms' door, which had been undoubtedly stronger before the disappearance of the Dark Lord. Alecto did not flinch when he told her about using the Cruciatus Curse on them, watched them flop about one moment and curl into a ball the next. Her face was blank when Barty told her about how Bellatrix had burned them with her wand, and how Rodolphus had violated Alice Longbottom in front of her husband. But he felt shame reaching up his chest when he told her how long he had allowed it to go on. It had never been a clean fight.

When he had at last finished his story, Barty did not cry. He did not feel remorse. His ire, his loyalty, had left him. He was only numb, with pangs of fear creeping into him. Alecto, avoiding his eye, leaned against the bedpost, her bare legs pulled up to her chest. It was only then he realized that she had moved away from him, and it made him a bit sick. He sat up, facing her.

"Ali," he whispered, something like panic creeping up his throat. The girl next to him was perfectly quiet, and still, and was ignoring him.

"Why, B?" she said, a little plea in her tone. He sighed. Alecto had always been a little soft for a Death Eater. She had taken the Mark early on, and followed the Dark Lord intently, but she was nervous in battle. She delighted in victory, not death. And he was certain Alecto wouldn't have thought about pulling her wand on the Longbottoms, not after Rabastan had splintered theirs. When the Dark Lord disappeared from the Potters' little cottage, it was fear she expressed, not rage like that inside himself. It was the difference between them, he supposed.

"We needed to find out," he replied, "We need to know."

"Lucius said…Lucius told us to just wait it out," Alecto muttered, shaking her head, "That if…he's out there, we should just wait to hear from him." He knew she was right, but Barty was unrepentant. Even when her eyes filled with tears, Barty offered her no reply.

"I wish you wouldn't have done this," she cried, and she wavered before him.

Gingerly, Barty moved towards her and placed an arm around her, helping her back into the sheets. She gave little resistance, but he wondered if she was disgusted by him. Alecto lay flat on her back, her eyes wide and vacant like an owl, and for a moment it looked as if she was studying the wood grain of the ceiling.

"What's going to happen?" she murmured. Barty could only shake his head.

"I can…run. I think that might be the best thing."

"I'll never see you again," she said after a while. He looked down at her, and at the same time realized what she said was perfectly true. If he was to go into hiding, his entire life would disappear, Alecto with it. For a little while, they were both still and quiet, sharing the same breath. Her face screwed up and he knew it was because she was trying not to cry.

"I thought we had more time," Alecto whispered. Barty had no words for her. Instead, he embraced the girl next to him. Her hair, dark and curly, was still damp from the bath and he could smell her soap.

"For what?" Barty asked at last. She shrugged in his arms.

"I don't know. Our lives. Being…happy," Alecto murmured quietly, and she quaked slightly. He pulled her closer and pressed his lips to her forehead, anticipating another round of sobs. Her eyes remained dry, but she snaked her hands around his middle and buried her head in his shoulder. Outside her window, a bird shrieked, perhaps the same merlin that had led him to Alecto's house.

"Sometimes I just wonder if things could have been…different."

"Hm?" Barty murmured, studying the frost on the window.

"You and me," she said quietly. Nerves gripped his chest as her words settled around him. He had wanted her for what seemed like his entire life. She had always been the one. He had only ever wanted to be close to her.

Fortune favors the bold.

Barty kissed her, and he imagined it was the way completion felt. Their lips crashed together and her tongue darted into his mouth, candy-pink and sweet. It could have lasted for a minute or several days, but all Barty was aware of was the hot, prickly arousal spreading through his body. His kisses grew bolder, exploring her mouth and face and neck, until he elicited a moan from the girl. Barty's hands, suddenly out of his possession, roamed her body aggressively; he pulled Alecto on top of him, extracting a small noise of protest from her when he pulled his lips away.

Barty gazed up at her as he let his fingers roam her body. It was too much. Feverishly, they worked in concert to cast off her shirt, and as she looked down at him, naked as a jaybird, his genius brain threatened to explode. Alecto took down her hair and it fell in waves just above her breasts. His eye was drawn to the freckles that formed constellations across her skin; he wanted to know every star on her body.

Alecto pulled him up by his shoulders and tugged off the shirt he had been wearing for barely an hour. All of a sudden he was nervous about Alecto seeing him naked. Barty had always been a scrawny kid, with milky skin and freckles that weren't as alluring as hers. He had grown a bit of a belly, and he wondered if she would find it unattractive.

For the first in a long time, Barty had a moment of clarity. He withdrew his hands, looking up at Alecto with wide eyes.

"Should this happen?"

She smiled, and said nothing. Alecto lay down atop him, her lips making a journey from his left nipple to just under his ear. Dragging her fingertips up the planes of his body,

"I don't want to miss the chance," she whispered.

It was all he needed. They fought for breath in between kisses, and he nearly cried out when her fingers brushed his sex as she tugged off his boxers. Alecto shook all over when he explored her thighs with his lips. Her nails cut into his back when he entered her. Slick with sweat, he labored atop her, and brushed the hair out of her eyes. Alecto liked to make noise; he reveled in her mews and stifled screams. Despite the vague, painful pressure building inside of him, Barty never wanted to stop.

She protested when he came. Barty laughed, kissing her neck, and lingered inside of her. When he finally lay next to her, his hands continued to roam her body. Alecto turned to face him as he traced the curve of her breast.

"Let's go," she murmured sleepily.

"You'll have to give me a couple minutes," he replied with a chuckle. She shook her head.

"No, I mean, away. Let's just go somewhere until things are safe here for you."

It was an idea he hadn't considered, but then again Barty hadn't done much consideration lately. Glancing up at Alecto's eyes, dark and shining in the light of the night sky, a weight settled in his chest. She was unhappy living on the moorland again; he knew without asking. But a life on the run would put both of them in danger.

She whispered his name drowsily, and he knew she was ready to sleep. Barty drew her close and pulled the eiderdown over their bodies. He savored the feeling of security, for he knew it would not last. Spent, Barty gave himself up to sleep as Alecto's hair tickled his face.

He knew it would be the last time he would be close enough to touch her.


End file.
